Close Job

Head Grower - #8918S

Confidential - Southern California

This position is no longer available

This job listing has expired or been filled. Browse current openings on Joe Produce to find your next opportunity in the produce industry.

Job info

Job Field
Farming & Growing Operations
State
California
Pay range
DOE
Job type

Company info

View profile
Name
Confidential - Southern California
Company size
Website
Industry
Grower

Job description

Our client is a leading producer of specialty produce, grown with exceptional care to deliver one of the best products on the market. This is a greenhouse operation where people and progress come first. The company blends hands-on cultivation with experimentation and data—testing, learning, and standardizing what works so the program improves week after week. Teams are treated with respect, communication is direct, and leadership is expected to be present on the floor, removing barriers and helping others succeed.

The company is seeking a Head Grower to lead and elevate a greenhouse operation that relies on strong fundamentals, consistent execution, and a well-trained team—not heavy automation. This is a builder role for someone who thrives in a highly hands-on environment, enjoys developing people and processes, and can scale production through clear standards, coaching, and continuous improvement. The role exists to close a leadership gap created by growth: you’ll take day-to-day operational ownership while partnering closely with senior leadership focused on long-term strategy.

Key Responsibilities

Growing & Production Leadership

  • Own end-to-end crop production across multiple nearby greenhouse yards

  • Develop and execute cultivation plans for specialty greens and edible flowers

  • Oversee germination, propagation, watering, nutrition, and crop health

  • Lead Integrated Pest Management (IPM) with emphasis on biocontrol

  • Adapt growing strategies based on seasonality, labor, and market needs

  • Develop SOPs and improve consistency in a low-automation environment

Team Leadership & Development

  • Directly manage 1–2 Growing Supervisors overseeing teams of ~25 each

  • Be present in the operation — working alongside crews when needed

  • Train and mentor supervisors and growers; build bench strength

  • Foster a learning-oriented, respectful, accountability-driven culture

  • Assess performance regularly and provide constructive feedback

Operational Coordination

  • Partner with operations and sales to align production with demand

  • Monitor facilities, irrigation, and equipment in coordination with maintenance

  • Track production data and use it pragmatically to guide decisions

  • Communicate crop risks, issues, and solutions proactively to leadership

  • Help leadership transition from reactive to scalable growing practices

Ideal Background

  • 5+ years of hands-on growing experience in ornamental crops, leafy greens, young plants, or greenhouse production

  • Experience leading teams in manual or semi-manual greenhouse environments

  • Proven ability to “build” systems where processes are still evolving

  • Comfortable making decisions without relying on high automation

  • Open-minded, humble leader — confident but not a know-it-all



Skills & Attributes

  • Strong people leadership and communication skills

  • Practical problem-solver with a bias toward action

  • Organized, adaptable, and comfortable with change

  • Able to balance hands-on work with leadership responsibilities

  • Bilingual English/Spanish strongly preferred



Why This Role

  • Rare opportunity to shape a growing operation at a pivotal stage

  • Highly stable workforce with strong retention

  • Exposure to long-term growth opportunities within a PE-backed platform

  • Leadership that values people, culture, and practical expertise


Our company is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by local, state or federal law.This policy applies with regard to all aspects of one’s employment, including hiring, transfer, promotion, compensation, eligibility for benefits and termination.

Apply for this job

Profile information

Max file size 10MB.
Uploading...
fileuploaded.jpg
Upload failed. Max size for files is 10 MB.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Edit Job

Please contact us for help with formatting or any questions regarding posting a job. If you don't see a relevant job field for your job, please let us know so we can add it!

Please list any additional email addresses to receive job application notifications for this posting, separated by commas. Your account email will always be included.

Check this box if you want applicants to be redirected to an external website to apply instead of using the Joe Produce application form. You will not receive any applications from Joe Produce.

Enter the full URL where applicants should be directed to apply (e.g., https://company.com/careers/apply).

Our client is a leading producer of specialty produce, grown with exceptional care to deliver one of the best products on the market. This is a greenhouse operation where people and progress come first. The company blends hands-on cultivation with experimentation and data—testing, learning, and standardizing what works so the program improves week after week. Teams are treated with respect, communication is direct, and leadership is expected to be present on the floor, removing barriers and helping others succeed.

The company is seeking a Head Grower to lead and elevate a greenhouse operation that relies on strong fundamentals, consistent execution, and a well-trained team—not heavy automation. This is a builder role for someone who thrives in a highly hands-on environment, enjoys developing people and processes, and can scale production through clear standards, coaching, and continuous improvement. The role exists to close a leadership gap created by growth: you’ll take day-to-day operational ownership while partnering closely with senior leadership focused on long-term strategy.

Key Responsibilities

Growing & Production Leadership

  • Own end-to-end crop production across multiple nearby greenhouse yards

  • Develop and execute cultivation plans for specialty greens and edible flowers

  • Oversee germination, propagation, watering, nutrition, and crop health

  • Lead Integrated Pest Management (IPM) with emphasis on biocontrol

  • Adapt growing strategies based on seasonality, labor, and market needs

  • Develop SOPs and improve consistency in a low-automation environment

Team Leadership & Development

  • Directly manage 1–2 Growing Supervisors overseeing teams of ~25 each

  • Be present in the operation — working alongside crews when needed

  • Train and mentor supervisors and growers; build bench strength

  • Foster a learning-oriented, respectful, accountability-driven culture

  • Assess performance regularly and provide constructive feedback

Operational Coordination

  • Partner with operations and sales to align production with demand

  • Monitor facilities, irrigation, and equipment in coordination with maintenance

  • Track production data and use it pragmatically to guide decisions

  • Communicate crop risks, issues, and solutions proactively to leadership

  • Help leadership transition from reactive to scalable growing practices

Ideal Background

  • 5+ years of hands-on growing experience in ornamental crops, leafy greens, young plants, or greenhouse production

  • Experience leading teams in manual or semi-manual greenhouse environments

  • Proven ability to “build” systems where processes are still evolving

  • Comfortable making decisions without relying on high automation

  • Open-minded, humble leader — confident but not a know-it-all



Skills & Attributes

  • Strong people leadership and communication skills

  • Practical problem-solver with a bias toward action

  • Organized, adaptable, and comfortable with change

  • Able to balance hands-on work with leadership responsibilities

  • Bilingual English/Spanish strongly preferred



Why This Role

  • Rare opportunity to shape a growing operation at a pivotal stage

  • Highly stable workforce with strong retention

  • Exposure to long-term growth opportunities within a PE-backed platform

  • Leadership that values people, culture, and practical expertise


Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
mem_cmlssff3918b70ssyf7pb8u4r

Apply for this job

This position accepts applications through the company's website. Click below to be taken to their application page.

apply now

Interested in this position?

Sign in to your Joe Produce account to apply for this job, or create a free account to get started.

This is a success message.
This is an error message.
This is also an error message.